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Good point, asking for a citation. It's an extraordinary claim and so requires something to back it up. A quick search turns up this quote from a 2013 Washingto
by tombrossman 11y ago
Good point, asking for a citation. It's an extraordinary claim and so requires something to back it up. A quick search turns up this quote from a 2013 Washington Post story "By September 2004, a new NSA technique enabled the agency to find cellphones even when they were turned off. JSOC troops called this “The Find,” and it gave them thousands of new targets, including members of a burgeoning al-Qaeda-sponsored insurgency in Iraq, according to members of the unit." Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-growth-fueled-by-need-to-target-terrorists/2013/07/21/24c93cf4-f0b1-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-g...
- nabla9 11y agoThat WaPo news has been debunked: http://blog.erratasec.com/2013/07/no-nsa-cant-track-phones-even-when-off.html http://blog.erratasec.com/2013/07/no-nsa-cant-track-phones-e... There is NSA method called 'implant', but it requires installation of software (possibly in the firmware). It's not so easy and it can't be used in large scale.
- tombrossman 11y agoReading the blog post, it definitely does not 'debunk' the Washington Post report. All it does is take issue with Snowden's blanket claim that all mobiles are vulnerable (which is a good point and is one I'm inclined to agree with).
- nabla9 11y agoLet's not confuse mass surveillance and targeted surveillance of small number of people. They are two different things. Snowden is right when he says that every phone is vulnerable for targeted surveillance. For people like him, every phone is dangerous even when they are closed. Mass surveillance is different. NSA can't just pick random person and remotely track their phone when it's turned off.